Out of control teenager–not an infrequent phrase for parents to describe their children. Teens are notorious for being overly emotional, combative, and hormonal–all this is normal. But for some teens, it’s a stronger, more confusing experience, leading difficult behaviors to arise. Psych Central recently wrote an article giving advice on how to help your out of control teenager learn to control their emotions more effectively. Now, there’s no “one size fits all” fix for this issue, you just have to help guide your child towards what helps them the most.

Our negative emotions

Humans have a wide range of emotions, some of them really positive, others fairly negative–but we need them all. If we didn’t have, let’s say guilt, we wouldn’t know how to identify if something was wrong. These negative emotions–anger, jealousy, sadness, greed, etc.–can sometimes gain control of our lives though, especially for an out of control teenager. These emotions can get in the way of positive emotions, like happiness, love, etc.

Getting an out of control teenager to move past their emotions

As the mental health issue stigma continues to shrink as the world becomes more informed, more tv shows, movies, and more are trying to educate the public on the issues adolescents face. An example of this is Inside Out, a movie about an adolescent girl who is having extreme difficulties pinning down and controlling her many emotions. Misunderstandings of where these emotions are coming from often result in a very confused, very emotional out of control teenager. One of the things to do is to find the root of the emotions.

Try to recognize the emotion, then trace back why you’re reacting that way. Do this as an outsider to your own emotions, otherwise you view becomes clouded and it’s hard to pinpoint the root of the issue. Figuring out why an emotion is developing allows an out of control teenager to either avoid what’s causing it or learn to work through it in a healthier way. Offering this advice to your son or daughter can greatly help in guiding them towards a deeper control and understanding of their feelings.

Finding help for your teen

Parents can only help their teens to a certain point, when it goes past that point, it’s important to seek out a professional for further guidance. There’s no shame in reaching out for extra help, you’re doing exactly what a parent is supposed to do–care for their child.

For more information about helping your out of control teenager gain control, check out ViewPoint Center.ViewPoint Center is a teen mental health hospital for adolescents ages 11-18.